Cumberland

The staff at the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter has become accustomed to juggling. While trying to operate its current shelter at 2325 Country Road in Chambersburg, the shelter also is raising money to build a new shelter at 5051 Letterkenny Road West. Now in the third and final phase of construction, the new home for the shelter is close to being completed, but time is critical because the current facility is overflowing with cats and dogs in need of new homes. “The (current)

A state prison inmate who died last week after being found unresponsive in his cell at North Branch Correctional Institution died from strangulation, Maryland State Police said in a press release Monday. Lewis J. Thompson Jr., 57, was found unresponsive in his cell at the maximum-security prison in Allegany County by correctional officers on Dec. 8. His death has been ruled a homicide. An autopsy was conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. The investigation into Thompson's death is being conducted by the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit.

Robert Earlston Nycum, 82, passed away Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011, at WMHS-RMC in Cumberland, Md. Born Sept. 2, 1929, Robert “Bob” Nycum was the son of Lloyd E. Nycum and Amanda (Trail) Nycum. He was born in LaVale, Md., and grew up on Valley Road in Bowman's Addition.   He attended Columbia Street Elementary School and graduated from Fort Hill High School in 1948. He also received his degree in political science from Frostburg State University. He was employed at Buchanan Lumber Co. and also worked at WTBO radio station in Cumberland.

The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown announces the call for entries for its 79th Annual Cumberland Valley Photographic Salon, a juried photography exhibition open to both professional and amateur photographers. The juror will be Bruce Katsiff. More than $1,000 in prizes is available. All entries must be received by 4 p.m., Friday, Dec. 2. Judging takes place in December, and the show will open on Feb. 12. Entrants may submit up to four unframed photographs, each mounted on a 16-inch-by-20-inch rigid board.

Norman Orville White, 87, of Williamsport, Md., passed away suddenly on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011, at Lorien Mays Chapel in Timonium, Md., after an extended illness. Born March 28, 1924, in Cumberland, Md., he was the son of the late Norman Wesley and Almeda Pearl Hartell White. He was preceded in death by his wife, Hazel May White, in 2010. He was a 1942 graduate of Fort Hill High School. He was a supervisor with R. Paul Smith Power Plant, Williamsport, retiring in 1986.

The gathering was energized and poignant, raw and emotional. People were laughing and crying Saturday as they danced and spun on the gym floor at the Hagerstown Community College Athletic Recreation and Community Center. Roughly 1,200 people had gathered to acknowledge loss, to celebrate life and to ignite motivation for the fight against breast cancer at the Breast Cancer Awareness of Cumberland Valley's Step 'n' Stride fundraiser. Agency Executive Director Joan Fell said the event has nearly quadrupled in size since she became involved with it 20 years ago. What began as about 300 people doing aerobics in the gym has swollen to droves of zumba dancers shimmying across the floor and walkers striding a five-mile course around campus.

St. Maria Goretti High School announced that the school is partnering with Cumberland Valley School of Music to offer musical arts classes at Goretti this school year. Students can take introduction to music, musical theater and choir. Music history, different styles of music and improvisation are a couple of the topics students will study. CVSM Executive Director Andrew Sussman emphasized how students can benefit from musical arts. “The classes provide an incentive and enthusiasm for students to explore music more, and it makes a real statement about what's important for education,” Sussman said.

Organizers with Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter invite the public to free tours of the construction of CVAS's new facility from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18, at 5051 Letterkenny Road West, Chambersburg. The frames for the walls are up, so visitors can see the layout of the shelter. There will be volunteers in different rooms and areas to describe how the shelter will function. Visitors will be eligible for door prizes. For more information, contact Kay Goodhart at 717-263-5791 or cvascampaign@cvas-pets.org .

Cumberland Valley School of Music recently opened a new studio at 32 W. Main St., Waynesboro. Lessons and classes are available for students of all ages, with more to be added based on interest and demand. CVSM will also continue to teach some lessons at St. Andrew School in Waynesboro, as it has done for several years. While CVSM has been offering lessons at churches in Waynesboro in the past, this marks their first presence in their own dedicated studio in the downtown area, near the square.